Crescent Scar
by DawnMetMorning
Summary: What DOES happen when the lion falls in love with the lamb? What happens when new things appear, like an eclipse? New thinsg are in the future for Bella and Edward but what will affect whom?


"Dr. Cullen," Charlie said surprised, as he opened the knocked upon door. "Edward," he said darkly, averting his eyes back to Dr. Cullen.

"Call me Carlisle." He extended his hand with a warm smile. "I insist."

Charlie nodded as he gripped Carlisle's hand. He looked quizzically at the Cullen's, mainly the elder. It was Edward who finally spoke.

"Chief Swan," he said politely, "I'm sorry we're bothering you… and I know we're currently not on the brightest of terms…"

"Well, that's an understatement," Charlie muttered darkly.

Carlisle placed a hand on Edwards shoulder, just as he opened his mouth to speak. He turned his eyes to Charlie. "Charlie, will you please just hear him out?" Carlisle pleaded patiently.

Charlie nodded stubbornly and stepped aside, allowing the Cullen's into the living room. Edward sat down next to Carlisle; the two of them across from Charlie. Edward took a deep breath, not that he needed it, and looked at Charlie, giving him a crooked smile.

"Chief Swan, I'm going to be quite blunt with you," he said, looking at Charlie squarely in the eye, "I'm in love with your daughter."

Charlie's fists balled slightly, and his face reddened. He opened his mouth to speak but Carlisle held up his hand. "You promised, Charlie. Please, just listen to him," Carlisle reminded.

Charlie took a deep breath and closed his eyes, his fingers flying to his temple. "Go ahead, _Edward_," Charlie said belligerently.

Edward looked to Carlisle, his lips barely moving, but still communicating with him. Carlisle nodded and Edward turned towards Charlie.

"Chief Swan," he began, "I want your permission to marry Bella. But," Edward said quickly to Charlie's already parting lips, "I do owe you some explanations."

Charlie's eyebrows soar. "I believe you do," he said testily, eyeing Carlisle, who nodded.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "Edward, if I may?" Carlisle asked, Edward nodding his head. "Charlie, keep an open mind as to what I am going to say, because this may be quite difficult for you to comprehend," Carlisle said, "not in any degrading way, it's just what I'm about to tell you may cause a slight… overreaction."

Charlie nodded. "Sure," he said, "what else could you say to surprise me at this point?"

"A lot," Edward answered.

Carlisle shot him a look that said 'Be quiet' and turned back to Charlie. This will be rather difficult to explain, but your daughter already knows and if Edward wants to marry Bella, then I think you should know."

"Does Bella know you're here telling me?" Charlie asked.

"No," Edward answered simply.

"Edward," Carlisle scalded.

"Sorry," Edward mumbled, sitting back.

"Please remember Charlie to just let me finish?" Carlisle clarified.

"I will," Charlie answer, his eyes shifting to Edward. "Only because I want to hear these explanations."

"I understand completely, and would too in your situation," he nodded. "But Charlie, we – as my family and I – we're not like you." Carlisle stopped and placed his fingertips together. "Charlie, have you ever heard of the Quientilette Legends?"

"Of course," Charlie answered, "Bill Black tells them all the time to me. I don't know why, I know them by heart now…"

"Ok, well there is a reason to that – but we'll get there in a minute. But when Bill tells the story, does he have any enmity against anything in the story? Enmity to his voice about something particular… part of the legend?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes," Charlie answered, puzzled. "Yes, he did."

Carlisle smiled encouragingly. "Charlie, match that enmity to his enmity to my family."

"But he speaks of Bloodsuckers and Werewolves. Mainly about these Bloodsuckers, which I gather to be Vampires… but… wait-" Charlie stopped at the looked in Carlisle's eyes.

"Charlie, just keep an open mind, remember?" Carlisle said. "There is something you should know about our kind-"

"Wait, you're serious?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. But listen – our kind, well the kind I started with my family, we aren't like the myths and legends you've heard. Especially those of Bill Black," Carlisle stated.

Charlie shook his head. "This clearly must be a joke. I mean, it can't be possible. It's daytime… and you're here! And you're not drinking my blood," he said, his voice sounding weak.

"All myths," Edward said, finally speaking up. "It's true we can't go out whilst the sun is out, because our skin sparkles – we don't melt or anything. And we don't drink your blood because-"

"Because we're a different species," Carlisle interjected. "We drink animal blood. We abstain from human blood. Although, it's in our nature to drink human blood when we smell it and to attack – we don't. Well, some of us are rather good at abstaining from it, like me. I'm able to be around blood because I'm over three hundred years old. Although, Edward here, I must admit has been doing well with your daughter."

"It's been difficult, though," Edward said. "She smells very divine," he stated.

"Wait, you're how old?" Charlie said, dismissing Edwards comment.

"A bit over three hundred," Carlisle answered.

"And you?" Charlie asked, raising an eyebrow at Edward.

"Over a hundred," Edward answered. "Vampires never die; unless they're destroyed."

Charlie shook his head. "So, how do the explanations fit in?" Charlie asked.

Edward cleared his throat and Carlisle gave him the floor. "Chief Swan, last year when she walked out on you – that was a ruse. There were these vampires – who drink human blood – and they were tracking her. Because she smells so good, they wanted her. So, I had to get her away," Edward said slowly. "We succeeded by killing one of them, and getting another one of them to come to our side and abstain from human blood… but the other, Victoria, is still on the lose.

"And this year, when she left with Alice… well, wait let me backtrack. When I left her, I only did it for her good. When she came to our house for her birthday, she cut her finger with paper. And Jasper tried to attack her, though Emmett was able to hold him down. But it showed me how fragile she is. And I felt like I had to leave her to stop her from falling even more in love with me. So, that's why I left.

"But, then, Alice had a vision – Alice has visions, I'll explain later – and she saw Bella throwing herself off a cliff. Well, later we found out it was just her cliff diving, but I thought that she committed suicide. So, I decided to commit suicide as well. Chief Swan, I cannot live without your daughter, so I went to our - how can I put it? - our legislature and I asked them to destroy me.

"Well, Alice had to get Bella to Italy before I did something stupid to piss off our Legislature. I had to see Bella alive, and when I did, I took back my request and didn't piss them off in any way. And Bella saved me, and made me realize how I really can't live without her…," Edward finished.

"But why are you telling me this?" Charlie asked quizzically.

Carlisle answered, "Charlie, Bella wants to become… one of us."

I knew that this was my cue – even though it wasn't official. I followed the stairs, and entered the living room. All eyes turned towards me, and Edward looked at me funny. "Why are you crying?" he asked, jumping up and coming over to me.

I hadn't even realized and brushed my hand over my cheek. "I don't know," I laughed. I looked at my father who looked at me. "Ch-Dad…"

He looked at me. "Is this some joke?" he asked, looking at the Cullen's and I.

"No," I whispered, releasing myself from Edward's embrace and kneeling in front of my father. "Dad, I don't think I could describe how much I love Edward."

"But you're so young…"

"Exactly!" I said, exasperated. Why'd everyone think I was too young? "Dad, you heard Edward. Look at him; he was transformed when he was seventeen! Even though he's well over a hundred, he's only seventeen! Dad, I'm eighteen. And even though Edward doesn't want to 'damn me' or whatever he thinks, I don't want to be twenty-five and him seventeen and me look like his older sister then his wife or whatever I will be!"

My father stared at me. "Bells," he said. I could tell I had hurt him.

"Dad, I'm not doing this to hurt you. But don't you see, Edward won't do any of this if you don't say yes. He's so damn old-fashioned!"

"It's because I am old fashioned," Edward smiled.

"This is no time to joke, Edward," I scolded. "Dad, please say yes. I've been begging him for two years now! Carlisle said after graduation… but I want Edward to bite me… but he won't even marry me because I'm human and because he wants your approval first," I argued my case.

Charlie looked at Edward. "Seriously? You wouldn't do any of this?"

"No," Edward answered. I stared at him hard and he stared back. "I didn't feel it was right. I told Bella to wait till after college but she won't allow it."

"We're going to end up in High School the rest of our lives anyway," I argued.

"But I think you should," Edward said simply.

"Edward, you're so confusing!" I said, throwing my hands up. "You come here to ask permission, and then you go backwards. I don't get it!" I looked at him, into his eyes. "What do you want? Do you not want me?" I asked, my voice faltering.

"Bella," he said, sweeping me into his hard arms. "You know that I love you but… I just want you to have what I didn't have."

"Edward, I never wanted to go to college in the first place. I just saw it as an additional four years of nothing. I do want to be with you though," I told him.

"Your father agrees with me and wants you to go to college," Edward said.

"And how would you know?" Charlie asked him, standing up.

"Because I can sort of read minds," Edward said. He looked at him, "Everyone's except Bella. Which makes me mad, because I would love to know what she was thinking now?"

"What I'm thinking now is why everyone thinks I'm too young. And I don't understand you at all. You're making me wonder if I should believe you when you tell me that you love me," I said, unhooking himself from me and going up the stairs, two at a time.

I went into my bedroom and shut it. I couldn't hear voices downstairs, but I did her a soft knock at my door a few minutes after I had sat down in front of it.

"Bella, can I come in?" Edward asked.

"No," I answered simply.

"Well, too bad," he said, jiggling the knob. "Bella, I'm stronger than you, I can push the door open with you sitting beside it."

I sighed and moved aside, allowing him in. The door opened and he looked down and smiled that crooked smile I loved. "You're so stubborn," he said.

"Isn't that why you love me?" I asked him.

He sat down next to me, and took me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest, biting my lip trying not to cry. "I hate this. I hate the fighting," I said, my voice faltering. My tears were deceiving me.

"So do I, Bella. It's just… like I said, you're so stubborn. I think you should wait, but you're so eager for this," Edward said.

I looked up at him; he took his thumb and gently wiped away the tears. "I just want to be with you. To really be with you! Not just like this, Edward. I want to kiss you with more passion without having you pull away so you don't do something… I want to be with you all the time," I said to him. "Don't you want that too?"

"Yes," he answered simply. He stroked my hair as he mused. "It's just, like I said; I want you to have what I didn't."

"Well, you didn't have me and now you do. Isn't that enough?" I asked. I sat up and faced him, taking his hard hands into mine. "Edward, look at me. I know there's something else you're not telling me."

He bore into mine, his eyes a light topaz – he had hunted earlier. "Bells, what if I bite you and can't stop? I don't think I could do that and live with myself!"

"But you did it last year, Edward. I believe in you!" I countered.

"I know. But Bella, I cannot also see you go though that pain. I remember it, it was excruciating. I don't think I could see that on you."

"Edward, I know about the pain. Don't you think it's enough that I'm willing to do it… for you?" I said.

He looked away. "Your father's coming," he mumbled.

"Bells?" he asked, sticking his head in the door.

"Come in, dad," I said, scooting from Edward a bit.

"Bells, I talked to Carlisle," he said, looking from Edward to me. "And… god, Bells, I don't know why yourself got yourself into this. And just leave it to you to find friends with vampires," he chuckled darkly, looking away. "But, if you want this. Then, fine. But I'm not explaining this to Renee.

"Bells, I want you to be happy. I know you haven't been these past years. And you deserve it. You deserve eternal happiness – literally," he said.

"So does this mean you'll let Edward bite me and marry me?" I asked; my chest pounding.

"Yes," Edward mumbled softly.

"Just can we not describe that so… macabre?" he asked, his face twisted.

Edward stood and extended his hand. "Thanks, Chief Swan."

"Charlie. You can call me Charlie," he said with a faint smile. Edward nodded and looked away as my dad left, shutting the door.

"Carlisle is filling his head with information now. He thinks he's crazy," Edward said, more to my window than me.

"What's it now, Edward? You got my dad's approval, isn't that what you wanted?" I asked him, coming up behind and hugging him.

""Yes… and no," he said tentatively, taking my hands and folding them across his waist.

"Then, what?"

"I just don't think I can do this, Bella. Not to you," he muttered.

"Edward," I said, going underneath his arm and looking into his face. "Kiss me and tell me you don't love me and that you won't marry me and that you don't want me to be like you."

He stood there. "I can't."

"And why not?" I demanded.

"Because I love you too much to lie to you again," he said.

"Well then?" I asked. "We graduate tomorrow."

"I know," he answered.

"Well, is Carlisle going to take my human dignity or are you?" I asked, looking at him. "Please, Edward, don't pain me in asking Carlisle to do it. I want you to."

Edward smiled that crooked smile again that I loved so. "I know you want this, and I love you enough that I will. But I will regret it forever," he said, brushing his finger against my wrist.

I lifted my wrist, showing him the moon shaped scar where I had been bitten before. "Right here," I said.

He took it into his hands, brushing his lips against it. "Right here," he echoed.


End file.
